To Our Mutual Benefit: Sick of Body
by Cheshire Pandacat
Summary: Gokudera takes a sick day, and Mukuro comes over. TOMB-verse, one-shot, 6959.


A/Ns: This started off as one thing then turned into something completely different, so I had no idea how to summarize it properly sorry guys.

Disclaimer: KHR not mine.

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To Our Mutual Benefit

Sick of Body

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"…alright, I'll tell the teacher. Feel better soon, Gokudera-kun!"

"Yeah," Gokudera rasped, closing his cell and tossing it aside before burrowing his face in the pillow. He was feeling utterly miserable. He had a high fever, his lungs ached, his throat felt like a desert, and his body was shivering while drenched in sweat.

Being sick _sucked._

He really wanted a glass of water. Scratch that, he _needed _water. But just the thought of mustering the energy to get up made him groan.

Maybe he should call…

…No. No way. Calling Mukuro and asking him to be there while Gokudera was sick was a little lower on the dignity pole than Gokudera was willing to go. He didn't want Mukuro to see him being this… _weak._

He was so thirsty…

Gokudera wasn't fully aware of drifting off, but a hand gently stroking his sweat-soaked hair brought him back to consciousness.

"Hayato?" Mukuro's voice said quietly.

Gokudera turned his head enough to look up at him. "What're you doing here?" he asked groggily, tone belligerent. Mukuro rose an eyebrow.

"Cranky, aren't we?" Hands on Gokudera's shoulders, Mukuro helped him roll onto his back and sit up, and then pressed a glass to Gokudera's lips.

Water! Gokudera drank it down, then fell back against Mukuro, panting. Mukuro pressed his hand to Gokudera's forehead, and Gokudera leaned into the cool touch.

"Have you taken any medicine?"

Gokudera made a negative sound, and Mukuro sighed, carefully lowering Gokudera back onto the futon before walking to the bathroom to go through Gokudera's medical supplies.

"Didn't answer my question," Gokudera mumbled when Mukuro returned.

Mukuro was silent for a minute, offering Gokudera the medicine and watching to make sure he took it. Mukuro helped Gokudera lie down again, and then sat by his head. Gokudera promptly shifted to rest his head in Mukuro's lap. Mukuro smiled down at him, and began brushing the hair out of Gokudera's face.

"I check up on you periodically, to see how you're doing," Mukuro said at last.

"Check up on me," Gokudera repeated flatly. There was only one thing that could mean in this context. "Mentally?"

"Mmhm."

"Without telling me."

"…Mmhm."

"How often is 'periodically'?"

Mukuro didn't answer, so Gokudera let it go for now and decided to get clarification later. His brain felt too cooked to think at the moment.

"So you could tell I was sick, and came over without asking."

Mukuro shrugged, twirling a strand of Gokudera's hair. "Would you rather I leave?" he asked, expression going impassive.

"No," Gokudera said tiredly, closing his eyes. "Stay. But I'm getting mad at you about that later."

"Thank you for the warning," Mukuro said dryly.

As he was drifting off again, he said grudgingly, "Mukuro?"

"Mm?"

"Thanks for coming."

Cool fingers settled against his temples, thumbs wiping sweat from his brow. "I'll always come when you need me, Hayato."

Feeling oddly reassured, Gokudera fell asleep.

He drifted in and out of consciousness, occasionally being given water or tea or helped to the bathroom by Mukuro. He was vaguely aware of a wet cloth being placed on his forehead, and switched out when it dried or became too warm.

When he finally did wake fully, it was dark outside. Mukuro was curled up beside him, forehead pressed against Gokudera's and one arm draped over his shoulders, seemingly asleep.

"That's a surefire way to get sick yourself, you know," Gokudera grumbled.

Mukuro opened his eyes. So he'd been awake, then. "I don't get sick."

"And _that's _tempting fate."

"Kufufufu, well, if fate sees fit to infect me for the first time in my life, I'll have you to look after me, won't I?"

"Maybe," Gokudera scoffed, before rolling onto his side to look at Mukuro seriously. He still felt woozy and weak, but he wanted to have this conversation sooner rather than later. "Mukuro, I don't completely get how your possession power works, but don't come into my head without permission."

"I'm not," Mukuro replied. "I'm just monitoring the state of your body. That doesn't require intruding upon your mind."

Monitoring the state of his body. Well, given that he'd maintained Chrome's organs from halfway around the world for months, it made sense that Mukuro could do that much. But still…

"And how often do you do this?" Gokudera asked, mouth twisting.

Mukuro blinked at him innocently.

"Mu. Ku. Ro."

"I give you my direct attention once or twice a day," Mukuro hedged.

Gokudera growled.

Mukuro drew Gokudera closer, resting his chin on top of Gokudera's head. Gokudera let him because he knew sometimes Mukuro was more comfortable being honest if he didn't have to make eye contact.

Hands idly massaging the back of Gokudera's neck, Mukuro said, "I have a vague awareness of the bodies of everyone I've made a potential vessel. It's sort of like… background noise. I can focus my attention on any of them at will to get more details. And before you ask, no, I can't turn it off entirely."

Gokudera mulled that over for a moment, trying to figure out just how pissed off he should be. "When I'm… background noise… how much can you tell?"

Mukuro gave a half shrug. "That you're alive. If you were to be critically wounded, I'd notice, but even that much is because we're close, so the connection is stronger."

Okay. Gokudera could live with that much. Having Mukuro know if he was injured would be damn handy.

The problem was that that was _background noise._

"And when you… focus on me?"

"It depends on the degree to which I do so," Mukuro replied carefully. When Gokudera growled again, Mukuro reluctantly went on, "But if I were to focus on your body to the full extent of my abilities, I would be aware of your location, your physical sensations – though without feeling them myself – and have a general understanding of your physical condition."

Gokudera had known Mukuro felt no pain dragging around a wounded vessel, but apparently he knew they were _in _pain.

Or in...

"Do you focus on me like that when we're having sex?" Gokudera asked stiffly. Mukuro hesitated, which was answer enough, but Gokudera wanted to hear him say the words himself.

"…Yes, I do."

That would explain how Mukuro always seemed to know exactly what to do.

Gokudera snarled and pulled back, out of Mukuro's grasp.

Mukuro pursed his lips, indignant hurt flashing through his eyes before he masked it with cold neutrality. "What's the problem? Is it wrong to want to make sure you're healthy, or to maximize your pleasure?"

"It's not wrong to _want _to, no," Gokudera bit out. "It's wrong to do it _without fucking asking me!_ That is a huge fucking invasion of my privacy!"

"How so?"

Gokudera stiffened, and then bared his teeth. "Because it's _my _body!You don't get to monitor or do _anything _to me without my fucking permission, no matter _what _your intentions are."

Mukuro just watched him, and said nothing. But Gokudera could read him well enough now to see the flicker of doubt in his eyes.

"When you stabbed me with that fucking trident, we were enemies, so I won't hold that against you," Gokudera ground out. "I won't hold it against you that you didn't say anything before we were in a relationship, either, since we weren't exactly on good terms until then. But you damn well should have said something after we started dating, and you should have _asked me _before ever focusing on me or whatever, or doing anything other than what you can't turn off. You are not fucking _entitled_ to _anything _involving my body, Mukuro."

There was a minute of silence.

"…I apologize, Hayato," Mukuro said quietly.

Gokudera felt his anger dim.

Mukuro had just apologized. Seriously apologized. And meant it. His expression even _looked _genuinely guilty and regretful.

As far as Gokudera knew, that was a first.

"You'll ask from now on, won't you?" Gokudera said tightly.

Mukuro nodded.

Heaving a sigh, Gokudera wrapped his arms around Mukuro and drew him in close. Mukuro returned the embrace, nuzzling at his neck. Gokudera could practically feel the relief radiating from him.

Maybe he shouldn't let it go that easily… Except it wasn't really "easily," was it? Getting a heartfelt apology might look like nothing much, but from Mukuro, that was huge.

And it was kind of gratifying to be the one getting it.

Fine, then. He'd let it go at that. If Mukuro did it again without asking, _then _it could be a serious problem.

As Gokudera began to stroke Mukuro's hair – Mukuro hummed appreciatively – another thought occurred to him, and he almost choked out, "Do you focus on Hibari when you're fighting him?"

Mukuro said nothing.

"That must help when it comes to being able to predict his attacks, huh. Or knowing where to direct yours. Big advantage. That Hibari knows nothing about."

More silence.

"I'm telling him."

"Don't you dare."

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End A/Ns: Gokudera told him.

Hibari was Not Amused.

My headcanon is that Mukuro's pretty resistant to illness and has a strong immune system so he really hasn't been sick in years. He is exaggerating about having never gotten sick before, though. In his defense, he probably doesn't remember it very well; his memories pre-experimentation & Six Realms are kind of patchy.

Chronologically, this happens in the first week of March, and Gokudera and Mukuro have been dating for roughly ten weeks.

I had to revise this so much omfg. I left it sitting on the backburner for two months, remembered it, decided to do a last reread before posting it… and it _still _needed edits. Ugh.

I'm still not completely happy with it, either, but it's necessary for my TOMB canon and I've been working on another one-shot for them so I just want to wash my hands of it already.


End file.
